You may have heard sayings such as "actions speak louder than words" or "what you see is what you get" or "it's not what he said, it's was HOW he said it". All of these phrases remind us of the importance of Nonverbal Communication, the focus of this module.

Nonverbal Communication is particularly important with respect to teaching. Studies suggest that as much as 75% of a teacher's classroom management direction (intentional or otherwise) is nonverbal (Balzer 1969). Many of the cues students use to make judgments about a teacher's competence or character are obtained by observing the teacher's nonverbal behavior.